Throwing issue to be discussed at Dubai meeting

The issue of illegal bowling actions will lead the agenda of the ICC's Cricket Committee meeting, which starts in Dubai on Thursday (May 13). With the topic generating so much controversy after Muttiah Muralitharan was reported in the recent series against Australia, the 12-member panel, which is chaired by Sunil Gavaskar, will review the current two-stage process for dealing with the issue, and will make recommendations to the ICC.

Under the current system, a bowler reported for the first time works with experts appointed by the home board. If he is reported for a second time within a 12-month period, the matter then passes over to the ICC's Bowling Review Group, which can ban the bowler for a year.

Apart from throwing, the meeting will also discuss the role of technology in umpiring. In an experimental move, third umpires were allowed to adjudicate lbw decisions during the ICC Champions Trophy in 2002. Since then, other moves such as marking lines on the pitch to aid umpires with lbws and giving them ear-pieces to detect thin edges have also been proposed.

Among other issues on the agenda are a report on the performance of the umpires and match referees, and a review of a number of rules and playing conditions. One of those rules under review is the Duckworth-Lewis method for rain-interrupted one-day matches. The method currently being used is the Duckworth-Lewis Professional method, a revised version of the earlier system, which requires a computer for calculations. However, it is being challenged by another system, devised by V Jayadevan, an engineer from India.